RE:

POSTED BY: jayneisagirlsname
UPDATED: Wednesday, February 1, 2006 00:34
VIEWED: 6004
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JFANJ

Monday, January 30, 2006 11:24 PM

tis a mystery about zoe.

GRIZWALD

Monday, January 30, 2006 11:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jayneisagirlsname:
... except that she was raised on a spaceship (right? or am I imagining that?)...]

You're not imagining it. She and Wash discussed it in Heart of Gold.

Other than that, I don't know any background. I don't think any of the Independents were soldiers, particularly. I always think they were farmers, ranchers, business people, teachers, craftspeople. Folk, in other words. Folk who had an independent spirit (the same spirit that led them to head out to the outer colonies in the first place) that prevented them from kowtowing to just anybody who claimed to know better than they did.

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jayneisagirlsname:
Is this from the Visual Companion? Or is whoever wrote the Wikipedia entry stating their opinion as fact?

I'll be interested to see the answer to this, too. I - even I, newbie that I am - have found myself making corrections to obvious booboos on Wikipedia about Firefly.

DONCOAT

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:07 AM

Yes, the VC's "Brief History of the Universe" (Joss' preproduction memo) says that Zoe was career Army.

It doesn't say whose army, though. Maybe it was like the Civil War in the US -- when the Southern states seceded, individual soldiers in the US Army had to choose whether to stay or go. Robert E. Lee was one who went -- Lincoln asked him to command the Union army, but he stuck with his allegience to Virginia.

So I'm thinking there may have been a single standing army for the Alliance before the war -- possibly made up of units from each planet -- and when war came, independence-minded soldiers left to fight on the other side.

Might make a nice bit of background right there...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't disagree on any particular point.

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:27 AM

I like Doncoat's explaination. Sounds very logical.

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:29 AM

I like Doncoat's explaination. Sounds very logical.

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

STAKETHELURK

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 5:26 AM

Quote:
I like Doncoat's explaination. Sounds very logical.

It is very logical. The only thing wrong with it is that it’s impossible.

According to the “Brief History” in the Visual Companion, the opening narration of the BDM, countless anecdotes in the series, and the very name of the war itself (the War to Unite the Planets), the conflict was not a rebellion, a secession, or a civil war. Rather, it was an Alliance invasion of the “Independent” worlds on the border. I imagine (though this is just speculation) that the Independents were like the Allies in WWII, a collection of various nations struggling against one big scary one. So, the War to Unite the Planets was the Alliance’s attempt to conquer (I’m sure they’d say “liberate”) the Independent planets and “unify” humanity under their supposedly benevolent control. Thus, the Independents were never a part of the Alliance until after the big war, and then only reluctantly.

That point being made, Doncoat is right in that Zoe must have been career military in a pre-existing army, but it couldn’t have been the Alliance so it must have been some border world military (maybe Shadow? Since Mal volunteered and ended up in her unit. Or maybe by the time Mal volunteered he could join up with any Independent unit).

Oh, and finally, the “career military” reference was made not just in the Visual Companion but also in one of the deleted scenes on the Serenity DVD, where the Operative is researching Mal with the Ensign’s help.

AERIN

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 10:57 AM

When did Zoe say she was raised on a space ship? It sounds a little familiar, but I didn't see it in Heart of Gold. Just Zoe and Wash talking about having a baby.

PURPLEBELLY

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:52 PM

From shooting script:

Quote:
WASH
And this beautiful baby of ours, you
don't mine that it's going to grow up
on a spaceship?

ZOE
Worked fine for me.

You aren't alone if you missed it from the broadcast episode

TAISHAN

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 2:12 PM

One thing I'm confused about though, if Zoe was career military and Mal only joined up because of the war, how did he end up outranking her?

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